1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to assembly line and conveyor systems, and in particular, to a clip used to secure supporting elements in a conveyor chain or belt system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conveyor belts and chains used in various industries are becoming wider to accommodate the requirements for higher production. Wider belts allow for an increased volume of product being moved along the line. Serpentine support systems, described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,145, are used to support the conveyor belts, particularly along the return way. These serpentine wear strips replace the use of roller return systems, and are particularly useful with wider conveyor belts, as they reduce pulsation and noise, afford even wear and increased belt life, simplify fabrication, and allow for flexible engineering.
As part of the serpentine systems, clips are used to secure various support elements. The earliest versions of these clips secured serpentine wear strips to round rods. These round rods or cross members served as supports for the system, as well as structural connection members for connecting the side frames. As conveyors become wider and support requirements for higher loads are needed, round rods having diameters of 1-inch or less become impractical. Larger diameter rods are required, or alternate configurations are necessary.
Commonly used cross members for wide conveyors are flat angles or channels. These angles or channels are commercially available steel shapes, or formed from sheet metal. The ends of the angles or channels are fastened to the side frames of the conveyor system by welding the members directly to the sides, or by forming or welding a tab at the ends and connecting the tab by bolting through the side frame. Higher loads can be accommodated by using thicker or taller metal cross members.
Current clip designs, intended for use with round cross members, do not allow for the connection of support members to the flat metal angles or channels. Thus, a need exists for a clip having a flexible design that accommodates the varying sizes of cross members necessary in wider conveyor belt systems.
Described herein is a clip configured for use in a conveyor system which uses a conveyor belt or chain, wear strips which support the belt or chain, and cross members which support the wear strips. The clip is securely mounted to the cross member and a wear strip is inserted into the upper portion of the clip where it is held firmly, such that the weight borne by the wear strip from the conveyor chain is thereby transferred to the supporting cross member. The clip is designed so as to accommodate varying thickness of cross members and to provide a squaring effect to resist lateral forces from the wear strips.
In one embodiment, the clip comprises an upper portion adapted to receive a wear strip and a lower portion adapted to be mounted onto a cross member. The lower portion comprises a J-shaped clamp for receiving an edge of the cross member with the longer leg of the J-shape engaging the upper surface of the cross member. The upper portion of the clip has two arms configured to recline and then grip the wear strip.
The J-clamp has a flat front inner surface to engage the cross member and square the clamp on the member. The clamp is sufficiently resilient so as to expand to accept various thicknesses of the upper surface of the cross member and to grip the cross member firmly. Besides the J-clamp, the lower portion of the clip includes an additional means for attaching to the cross member. Such means include a hole adapted to receive a separate rivet, or a molded rivet integral with the clamp, or button snap as an integral part of the clip. One or more of these can be used in a single clip.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a rail system for conveyors. The system comprises an elongate synthetic wear strip, a flat or angled cross member adapted to be mounted adjacent a conveyor belt or chain, and a clip. The cross members extend horizontally between the side frames of the conveyor system. The wear strip is preferably shaped in a serpentine configuration. The clip has an upper portion adapted to receive the wear strip and a lower portion comprising a J-shaped clamp for receiving the cross member, whereby the weight of a belt or chain borne by the wear strip is transmitted to the cross member. A plurality of clips can be mounted on a single cross member for supporting a plurality of wear strips.
Yet another embodiment of the invention includes a clip having an upper, generally U-shaped portion, with two arms adapted to grip either side of a wear strip. The lower portion of the clip includes a long leg for engaging a flat upper surface of a supporting cross member, a shorter leg engaging a front edge of the cross member, and attachment means for securing the clip to the cross member. Such attachment means include at least one separate rivet, a fastener formed integral with the leg or a hole adapted to receive a rivet. In one form, the clip lower portion is L-shaped, and in another is J-shaped. Both the J-shaped clamp and the L-shaped clamp have a flat surface, that provides squaring effect to allow the clip to resist lateral forces once mounted on the cross member.